Cold Snow On A Frozen Heart
by ashford2ashford
Summary: Chapter Two is finally up.This time it's seven years onwards into Zarbon's childhood years
1. First Meetings

Cold snow on a frozen heart  
By: Ashford2ashford  
Disclaimer: If I owned Dragonball Z…I would indeed be a rich person and would never have to work again…but I don't…so…umm…hope you like this…  
Pairing(s): Typical love/hate relationship between Frieza and Zarbon  
AN: Well…my first ever Dragonball Z fanfic and I really hope you all like it!

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Frozen snow…

Drifting down from the sky and landing on my hard armoured skin, melting upon impact, water softly dripping down my body.

Until then, I'd never seen it before, and the memory of it was one I treasured above all. A memory that had feelings and – dare I say it? – emotion behind it, one that stood out amongst all others.

A day in my memory when the frozen snow was as alien as my presence upon the planet whose climate was cold enough to cause it…that phenomenon that I couldn't explain…

My soft arms and my hard armoured shoulders covered in snow.

My own body was still boiling from life upon my own planet, the blood as warm as molten lava.

"Father…what is this?"

I now know how ridiculous it sounded back then. I should have known about snow and water forming ice and piles of white that were as cold as the heart that beat within my breast. Should have known…but didn't…

I recall soft skinned bare feet crunching the snow between three toes, fascinated by the cold temperature, watching it melt into water and then freeze again. The same three toes shortly afterwards hovered above the ground, the small body shivering.

"It's cold."

Wide eyes searched for miles across wasteland and snow, finding nothing. The small body drew closer to the warmth and safety of the much taller, much stronger figure.

I was young back then.

Maybe only in my twentieth or twenty-first years or so…

Actually, I must explain that.

My race lives for about a thousand up to one thousand five hundred years, and to only be in your twentieth year meant lack of natural armour, lack of strength, and more importantly lack of any ability to defend oneself.

My father was already strong and around seven hundred…and behind him came my brother…bold and cocky…five hundred years older than I and all too aware of it.

"Cold, little armour-less freak?" It was amazing that he always seemed to try and drag me into an argument or make me feel pathetic at any opportunity.

I winced. Yes I was cold, yes I was scared of this strange white cold…._substance_ that I'd never seen before, but I'd be damned if I was ever going to admit that to my older brother!

"Cooler…don't tease your brother. You know that you were the same at his age."

My father. His voice at that time lacked interest, I now know why.

The fights between brother and brother were nothing new to him, and they were more than enough of a hindrance to him as they were a distraction also.

My brother had sneered at that, I remember the cold expression on his face, colder than the snow falling around us.

"I soon grew out of that!" He scoffed, tapping his own shoulder of armour proudly, "Not like the little naked baby Frieza!"

I remember feeling so stupid…like always…

"Enough of your bickering! Cooler, don't tease your brother! Frieza, its snow and it's supposed to be cold! Now both of you pipe down!" My father's eyes were shifting side to side, scanning the white landscape for something…

"Ah! There it is!"

My tiny body was lifted onto huge muscular shoulders, and then my father began a short flight down a rocky white crevasse.

I think I was too young to fly then.

Maybe that's why I was seen as pathetic back then…

"Father! Where are we going? Are we flying into nothing as per usual? Are you lost again? Father…I'm cold! Let's find shelter! I'm sure you're sadistic! Father!"

Let it never be said that I whine more than my brother…

I could tell from the expression on my father's face that he may have been thinking along the same lines as me.

"Cooler," he seethed, "Just shut up and hold on for a few moments…we're nearly there!"

"Ah! My Lord King Cold…I trust you found us all right? I am aware that this climate may be not what you are used to, but I do hope it wasn't a hindrance…"

It wasn't the first time I'd seen Lord Zarbon, but even at this age, at this time, on his own territory, things seemed different. Lord Zarbon was…how would I put this? He was a different creature from the Ice-jin I was used to, and like it or not, my father had…business with him on this day…and he had insisted that my brother and I had come with him.

Back to the subject of Lord Zarbon…  
His race was known as the Changelings. After a certain time period, they chose a form out of the two they were able to take to permanently stay in. Lord Zarbon had chosen his…how shall I say this also? …his less-attractive form. He looked frog-like in appearance, and stood around six and a half foot tall, his long green hair dangling about his shoulders, his fangs protruding from scaly…'lips'.

Why had he chosen that one in comparison to his more human-like one?

Such questions I asked back then, but now I'll never question them again…I seem to forget so much these days…it is my one hundred and fiftieth year after all. I am merely a teenager by Ice-jin standards, but still…

Where power takes over, memory is erased…

Anyway, I digress as usual.

At the time, I was scared of the snow. The fear of that soon subsided when I saw the hideous form of Lord Zarbon. I even recall clutching my father's cloak tightly, my brother sneering at my act of cowardice.

"Lord Zarbon." My father's large lumbering form bent over in a bow of sorts, his cloak sweeping over him, his tail and arm acting in unison, moving across his large muscular chest, "It is the pleasure of I, King Cold, to be upon your fine home planet with both of my own flesh and blood sons. I can assure you there were no hindrances on my journey here, and yet I must express a curiosity as to why you have called me here on such short notice. It is unlike you, my friend."

Lord Zarbon laughed softly and opened the 'door' to a large camouflaged structure hidden in the deep ever-thickening snow…an underground hide away no doubt? He bowed low again before my father and then motioned towards the warmth that crept out from within the structure.  
"Please. It would be my honour if you came inside. It is not a matter of life or death, but rather one of great pride for my race and myself. I simply wished to express it to you as opposed to other Generals."

My father looked a little confused and then smiled, a huge booming laugh, the likes of which I had never heard before, escaping his lips. He patted Lord Zarbon upon the back and then laughed again, his eyes seemingly shining with joy.  
"She has given birth hasn't she?" He asked, sweeping back his cloak, "You have a new heir."

I looked up in surprise. That sounded ugly. A newborn changeling! I imagined it to be a hideous frog demon-like thing, just like it's father. Not a pretty image. But my father seemed happy enough, his smile never fading.

At least it was warmer in here.

As for a description of the place I was in, well, I am not one for description, but I must ask. If you are aware of what the metal military bunkers look like, then you already have a vague idea of what this was. After all, the changelings were very military in character. It was white, and long and cylindrical, made out of a metal I could not begin to imagine what type.  
Changelings in both human and 'other' form rushed around, bowing to my father, staring at Cooler and I, doing chores and tasks for their King and Lord. Several of them even commented on my soft and delicate tail, which hung limply at my back, dragging along the floor like a soft pink worm, making trails in the snow that had blown in.

I felt very paranoid by that time. The reason my tail was dragging was due to the lack of feeling in it. It would be a permanent limp, even when I developed armour on the end of it, all thanks to my brother. In a fit of jealousy, he had made sure to slam my tail repeatedly in a metal door when I was three years old. My father had punished him, but Cooler's wounds had healed…my tail, however, would remain limp…

One of the many reasons I despised my older sibling…

I looked around as we entered the main hall, decorated in the style of what a human would call a 'Medieval Style Throne Room'. In front of the two thrones lay a small bundle on the soft delicate carpet that swept across the floor. 

Lord Zarbon picked up the bundle and showed it to my father and Cooler (I was too small to see) and then laughed softly.

"The future Lord of my planet, Zarbon the fifth."

Whimpering I called out, "I want to see!"

My father looked down at me and then smiled, motioning for the baby to be placed in his muscular arms. Lord Zarbon complied and then my father knelt down until he was my level and then showed the bundle to me with a smile of his face.

I peered into it and felt a warm soft hand touch my ruby lips gently. A small podgy light green hand belonging to the tiniest cutest baby I had ever seen in my entire life! It face was small yet chubby, it's wide baby blue eyes not yet changed to the adult colour, and it had the same light green skin that all Changeling's had, and also bore a few wisps of dark green hair on it's soft head.

"It's small." I commented, poking its chubby cheeks with one finger. The baby giggled gleefully and wriggled in my father's arms.

"Would you like to hold it, Little Frieza?" Lord Zarbon knelt down and motioned to my small arms. I opened my eyes wide and nodded, "Uh huh!"

The baby was warm. Warmer than Ice-jin skin, which was as cold as this planet. As soon as it was placed in my arms, it stopped wriggling and looked up at me, content to be there.

"Baby Zarbon…" I murmured, "I like you, baby Zarbon…"

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NEXT: Chapter Two – Seven Years Later

AN: Well, I hope you all liked this, with it being my first Dragonball fic!


	2. One step forward

**Cold snow on a frozen heart – Part Two**  
**By:** Ashford2ashford  
**Disclaimer:** Ooh…imagine the possibilities if you owned Zarbon and Frieza…you'd be on the rampage for world domination… oh…but then again…I don't own them…so bleh!  
**Pairing(s):** Typical love/hate relationship between Frieza and Zarbon  
**AN**: Hmm…it's been a while since my first chapter. Now we're moving seven years forward…and I'm looking forward to writing this section…only because I haven't written in a while…I'm tying up loose ends on my fan art page on http/theminiarkana. - I go under a different name on there.  
Hope this chapter suits the needs of any Zarbon or Frieza fan…

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_"I like you, baby Zarbon"  
They didn't sound like they were my words…but I had since then accepted that they were…maybe because I was trying too hard to make it seem like I was never in denial…maybe it was because I had an honest reputation…or maybe it was because the words were genuine. Either way, they were mine; my silent pledge to the small changeling that lay in the crib. No one could change that. Not even I._

Of course I still remember that day as if it were fresh in my mind, but over the seven years that followed the small miracle of the baby I was worked to the bone in my training sessions – a natural occurrence for the more war-like Ice-jins of the planet Frieza – and I hadn't the time to think about the baby, or the planet of white snow. My armour had since grown, except around my tail, and my senses were as keen as those of the very animals on the planets; instinct and skill mixed into one. My brother had long since evolved, and my tiny form could barely comprehend the power he held, but I was not to be swayed…I would train…

And then…

The time came when my father decided to return to the planet of ice…

…

…

Crunch crunch crunch.

"Left right left right left right…"

Crunch crunch crunch.

"Stand to attention!"

Crunch crunch – crack!

_"The eyes of an Ice-jin, cold and glaring. A gaze that shifts through the ranks of an army, picks out strengths, destroys weaknesses, and then moves on to the task at hand. An Ice-jin body, proud and – although short – full of authority and menace. The age of the Ice-jin…the younger…the more experienced they will be when older if trained from a child…"_

That is not far from the truth of our society, and it was a lecture that I remembered from being a baby, a lecture that father saw as fit to deliver to his children before and after each training session. The words were now burned into my brain, and even though I was but a child, I was now in charge…in charge of the assistance being sent to the planet of ice.  
The assistance was made up of Ice-jin males, with a few females at the front of the ranks, their armour all camouflaged in the snow. I was leading it along side my father, who had walked ahead of us, expecting me to lead his troops to safety. A few had rolled their eyes at being led by a child, but a few guided ki blasts, a few evil glares, and a few nasty smirks soon sorted that out. Now they feared me…

"Here again, King Kold?"  
I winced. It was the lord of the ice again. The hideous creature from seven years ago. I gazed over his filthy mutated body with disgust and swished my tail in the snow, my six toes crunching the white substance into water, as I listened and waited patiently.

"Your assistance is here." My father bowed and was permitted entrance, as were we.

"It arrived just on time. We were in the discovery of another planet. Vegeta-sei apparently. A race of savages lives there. Saiya-jins they call themselves. Very nasty little buggers." Lord Zarbon flicked a braid of green hair over his shoulder and snorted in disapproval of the race.  
My father's eyes narrowed.

"So…you've found out the name of the planet, eh? Very good. We shall have to see if we can strike a bargain with these savages. What are their tactics…if you've figured them out?"

We carried on walking into the warmer regions, both my father and Lord Zarbon in the heat of conversation, my ears tuned into other things aside. I could hear the echo of many different conversations, and smell the musky charcoal scent of the fires in the different areas. In short, I was merely testing myself in sense and ability…

"Ahh…here he is."

"Daddy."

My head perked up when I heard the tiniest most beautiful voice to ever be blessed to a child, and I prayed it was him…I prayed it was the baby. I moved forwards to grip one of my father's legs, making sure not to gain any eye contact with Lord Zarbon and then saw the little seven-year-old Zarbon doing the same with his father's leg.  
Our eyes made contact – crimson against crimson – my lips turned up a little in a shy smile, as did his, and my feet were edging out gently, as were his.

"I see my son has a good memory." My father petted my little horned head gently, his huge hand so strong yet so gentle upon my brow, "Frieza, I see you recognise Prince Zarbon. He's the baby we saw last time we were here. Remember?"

"Baby Zarbon." I murmured, stepped forwards into full view, my tail dragging behind me like a soft pink worm, "I remember baby Zarbon."  
The little changeling stepped forwards also, my heart skipping when I saw his form. He was still human-like, still cute, still beautiful…and I loved it. He wasn't like his father…he was simply…baby Zarbon.

"Say hello to Prince Frieza, Zarbon!" Lord Zarbon nudged the little one into the middle of the two adults, so that he faced me, and then coughed to get a reply.  
Zarbon trembled a little and then held out his small delicate green hand.

"M' name is…Z-Zarbon…'m a Prince…" Such a heavenly tone! I gripped his tiny hand in mine and then smiled inwardly when he shivered at my natural skin temperature – colder than ice. My black fingernails showed up against his skin as I got a feel for who he was, what he smelt like and how he was in touch. He didn't know this, but I managed to let go before I spoilt too much of him.

"My name is Prince Frieza! I am the Ice-jin Prince!" My voice was somewhat bolder than his, and had a sharp and sly edge to it. He bowed gently and then gripped my hand again in his tiny digits.  
"Want to come and play?" He asked, tugging a little.  
I shuddered. No one ever dared to touch me! Just who did this little one think he was? I felt so angry at his intrusion onto my person! No one ever touched a prince!

My father stirred behind me. He knew exactly what I was thinking and became aware of me more than anything…and then I walked off calmly with the little changeling…he sighed…

I had considered sending some ki to the little one's skull when his hand had touched mine, but I felt such a thrill from holding him, from touching him, that I had forgotten in that moment that I was a Prince, and that I was also an Ice-jin! He made me feel like the child I was…and I adored him for it.

"What do you play?" I asked, sitting down on a velvet cushion in the plain white room. Zarbon looked up, his eyes lacking the spirit of a child and then hung his head low.  
"I don't know." Said he, "I've never played before. I just wanted to play with someone. Anyone. I hate being alone."

"Don't you have any others to play with?" I asked. I'd never been lonely; I'd trained my whole life, so I never acknowledged the existence of other Ice-jin children. I didn't know what he was going through…and it confused me…and made me unhappy.

The little one shook his mane of green hair and then looked down at the floor; his eyes focused on anything…something. He looked up at me again; his beautiful gaze upon mine, and then knelt forwards towards me, his face full of a somewhat pained expression.

"Can I tell you a secret?" He asked, reaching out to clutch at my cold hands, looking down at them upon contact with the Ice-jin flesh – the warmest planet in the galaxy with ice cold residents, such as was my skin now. He shivered I felt somewhat involuntarily, and then looked up at me, the warmth of his hands fading the more he held onto mine. "Can I?"

I looked into his eyes again and broke his contact with my ice cold skin, placing the warmer palms of my hands over his, warming them again with a gentle ki glow. Somehow, all my anger had gone within an instant, my harsh reputation ruined in the eyes of a child, my intelligence higher than his, but my stature smaller. Looking like a child, and technically being a child by Ice-jin standards, I was just another male to play with in his eyes – someone of his height and stature that he could tell a secret too…if I agreed to listen that is. I caught myself, realising my rudeness and then nodded gently.

"You can tell me anything." The words just came out…I have no idea how.

"Really? Even with a big secret?" Just how much goading did he need? Maybe this was a huge terrible secret!

"Yes…even with a big secret." I felt dumb, playing a child in this manner, but this boy, this little one, caught my interest. It wasn't because of the secret either…I believe back then, I really liked him.

He stood up, his feet shuffling, and his hands behind his back. Beginning to pace, he began his story.

"You've seen my father. He's a huge and ugly changeling. When he is with mother, he is beautiful, but when he's with Ice-jins (he cast a somewhat hateful glance in my direction – another reaction) he transforms into a creature, like the one you saw." He paced more rapidly; I wondered where this was going. "Mother is beautiful always. She says she doesn't want me to become like the rest of my race. She wants me to stay beautiful. Father wants me to become hideous. He says I must transform in order to survive. He tells me that our race is born the way we are and the only reason we have a humanoid form is to deceive others. Am I really that evil? Do I deceive?"

Could I lie to him?

Could I tell him it would be all okay?

Could I tell him what he was destined to grow up as should he stay here?

What do you think?

"Evil is only intoned by the person looking upon it. What do you perceive as evil? If what you perceive as evil is what you are, then you are evil. You could master your transformation. Then you would only have to use it as a last resort! If you stay here…you'll become like your father…"

"Then I should leave."

"Why so?"

Then in that moment he looked up at me with eyes full of hurt and pain and then murmured, "Because I don't want to be ugly."

…

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Ashford2ashford: The start of a beautiful friendship eh? Lord Freeza is showing emotion…that's a surprise. Let's see how well I can keep this thing running, yah?


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